‘Many realise that with the same skills, they can find more attractive jobs, such as driving tour coaches or delivering goods for logistics companies.’ Josephine Teo, Minister of State
Josephine said this when propounding the idea of paying more to bus drivers to attract Singaporean. Just don’t forget about train drivers. I am thinking of my train driver friend. But then he cannot jump ship to drive tour trains. There is no such thing as tour train, only tour coaches. It will be nice if all the bus drivers decide to join the tour coach companies. Singapore will instantly become a tour coach country, or logistic hub.
The concept is valid though. If we don’t pay our politicians well, they can go and be politicians in other countries that pay better to their politicians. Ok, ok, I admit this part of the argument is flawed. No other country is paying their politicians more than ours. But there are other hedge fund companies that can pay much more, like Goldman Sach, Citibank, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch. The options are plentiful.
Now I got carried away. Let’s get back to manual workers. Are security guards in this category? We are not getting the best able Singaporeans to work as security officers and what happened is that many are toothless Ah Peks or some may even be wearing yellow ribbons when applying for jobs. Of course there are many foreign talents waiting to be employed as security guards too.
I think the most dreaded profession must be construction workers or machine operators. The former is hot and tough. Understandable that our highly educated and qualified Singaporeans will give it a miss. Maybe change the working condition and the terminology to construction specialists and pay them triple. No, no, tripling their pay is against the CBF mantra. Maybe should try to lure them as machine operators if there are still factories operating here.
Whatever, the concept is simple. Pay them well if you want to employ Singaporeans or they will work elsewhere that pays better. Some may not even want to work until the next best job comes along, or waiting hopefully to become politicians.
Labour should be priced at market rates. If you want better people, you have to pay them more to attract them.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, if people want to earn more, they must make themselves more "valuable", by improving themselves and their marketability.
Here in Graveyard-By-The-Sea, Perth, as a train driver you'll earn around AUD 120k per annum. Double that if you want to work up north in the mining areas.
My cousin gave up his stressful corporate network manager's job to drive buses and coaches for around AUD 80k per annum.
If the pay is good for the less "stressful" jobs, you'll find that there'll be people who would take those jobs rather than one at a souless, blood-sucking corporation...where someone is out to stab you in the back, at all times.
So just try it: pay the bus drivers $7k per month and the train drivers $10k per month. Then watch the standard increase, and so will the job competition.
If bus drivers are paid $7k per month, our talented ministers will ensure that a bus trip cost at least $10 and 3 rm HDB will be $1.5 mil min.
ReplyDeleteJosephine Teo, Minister of State, proposed paying more to bus drivers to attract Singaporean to be bus drivers. Members of National Transport Workers' Union must be wondering where their monthly dues went to.
Saycheese
money money money... the pap is so full of fresh inventive ideas for solving problems.
ReplyDeletethey should also look into glamourising the jobs. construction workers would be quite easy to glamourise. just hilight the macho factor.
and of course, everyone has to stop looking down on these pple and jobs and making a big deal out of academic qualifications. hahaha easier for the moon to turn blue and pigs to fly. this govt is so stuck in its little rut.
Lol! ABBA's song. My fav song, pls sing along with me. "Money money money in the PAP's world ...! Lanngar !"
Deletejosephine teo? sick woman
ReplyDeleteHey Redbean,
ReplyDeleteAre u referring to me? If it is so, then just quote my name lah! Nothing to hide. It's all facts. How much I'm paid etc are stated on my blog. Go ahead and quote me with all the figures there! Compared to what our Matilah says about train drivers in Australia and if you goggle on train drivers' pay in the UK and Europe, I'm paid peanuts! Really langgar!
When full-time motherhood pays nothing, Singapore womanfolks have no qualm leaving the babies they made to others.
ReplyDeleteShould the child(ren) grows up and abandons them, please hor, dont blame them for loving their spouses more than YOU!
For You deserve it!
patriot
@anon 350
ReplyDeleteThe way many Singaporeans look down at "menial" or "socially low" jobs is just another cultural artifact which enrages and disgusts me to no end.
The neurotic and insane "paper chase" is automatic behaviour for many kiasu-kiasi Singaporeans, that many of them use their children's or their own academic achievements as TROPHIES to prove to the world that they're "somebody".
This kind of dead-shit insecurity is laughable...after exhausting my disgust and rage.
Ah fuck, let those foreigners in...more the merrier. Those asshole Singaporeans need to be done away with forever and replaced by better people.
Fuck you! Get out of my Hotel, losers!